The present invention relates generally to turbomachinery, and more particularly relates to an article of manufacture configured for use with turbomachines.
In turbomachines, many system requirements should be met at each stage of the turbomachine's flow path to meet design goals. These design goals include, but are not limited to, overall improved efficiency, reduction of vibratory response and improved airfoil loading capability. For example, a compressor airfoil profile should achieve thermal and mechanical operating requirements for a particular stage in the compressor. Moreover, component lifetime, reliability and cost targets also should be met.
During initial assembly of turbomachine components, or subsequent repair and replacement of turbomachine components, a large number of components must be installed in specific locations of the turbomachine. For example, a stage one rotor blade must be installed in the correct position on a stage one rotor wheel. A typical turbomachine may have many stages with many corresponding components, so a high probability exists that a component for a specific stage may get installed in an incorrect stage (e.g., a stage five rotor blade might get installed in a stage six rotor wheel). The negative implications of this event lead to machine malfunction or inefficiency and increase outage or construction time due to the need to remove and correctly install the specific components. Accordingly, a need still exists for an improved system for installing turbomachine components that reduces the probability for errors during installation.